Are You Looking at Your SWCs Monthly?

Are You Looking at Your SWCs Monthly?
By Dan Mooney
NAPS North Central Area Vice President

NAPS Secretary/Treasurer Jimmy Warden sends a monthly SWCs (supervisor work credit) report to the Executive Board. Hopefully, you, in turn, get it from your Executive Board representative(s).

If you work in Retail and Delivery, are you looking at it closely? Why should you be looking at it every month? This file determines the number of supervisors a delivery unit earns. That should get your attention now!

The massive file lists every delivery unit in the country. I sort it down to just my area and make some appropriate highlights for my people to help them better understand what the file is telling them.

First, make sure the data/numbers showing for a particular delivery unit are accurate. Double check the data/numbers, for columns J – column AB. If they are not accurate, contact your postmaster or MPOO and ask to have them corrected. You can find the definitions for those columns on the first tab of the file named “NOTE” under columns B & C.

For craft positions, if a position is authorized, but not vacant, for over two months, it should count. If the position is authorized, but vacant for over two months, then it will not count. Post and fill your vacancies quickly!

For EAS positions, if it’s an authorized, but an unfilled/vacant position, it should be counted in SWCs.

Once you have validated the numbers in columns J – column AB, the spreadsheet tells you the following:

Column AC — Total estimated SWCs or work credits: using a predetermined formula, this column reflects the total work credits the unit earns.

Column AD — Exceptions (15 or more): This is for large PECS post offices. For every 15 regular supervisors earned, another exception supervisor is approved. However, the PCES postmaster can use that supervisor(s) basically any way they want from week to week.

Column AE — Estimated earned supervisors: This column uses the number in column AC and converts it using the ratio on the first tab of the spreadsheet named “NOTE” and determines the number of earned supervisors the unit gets.

Column AF — Relief SCS (1:5 ratio): For every five regular supervisors in column AE, the unit earns one additional relief supervisor. PCES postmaster offices add up all the regular supervisors under the PCES postmaster to determine how many relief supervisors they get.

Column AG — Zone of Tolerance: If you look at the first tab of the file titled “NOTE” under columns F, G, H & I, this will show you the minimum and maximum points or WSCs credits to earn a supervisor. Column I is the Zone of Tolerance (ZOT) number the unit needs to remain above to stay within the ZOT.

Once an office falls within the ZOT, it must remain in the ZOT for 12 consecutive months before a supervisor should be removed. If an office is within the ZOT for a period of months and breaks the string of months and rises above the ZOT for a month, then the 12 months consecutive requirement starts over from month number one.

However, if an office falls BELOW the ZOT number, a “bZOT” symbol will appear that means a supervisor can immediately be removed from that office. Under the AG column, you will see a ZOT symbol if the office is within the ZOT for that particular month (ZOT symbol also will show under column BD if that happens). It’s critical you keep an eye on the ZOT columns so you are not caught off guard when they want to remove a supervisor.

Column AI — Points needed for the next level: This column shows the number of points needed to earn an additional supervisor. If you use the number in column AC and look at the chart on the first tab named “NOTE” (Column F, G, H), you can see the number of WSCs or points needed to earn an additional supervisor.

With route evaluations and adjustments planned this spring, keep in mind that SWC does NOT calculate SWCs by route; it calculates SWCs by number of carriers. So, if you have a route(s) taken out, but no carriers are removed from your unit, you still should get credit for those carriers. Once the carriers are reduced, the SWCs will be impacted accordingly.

Another nugget is a postmaster/manager should be given credit for all units and, therefore, all the SWCs points under their finance number jurisdiction, including contract finance units. Sometimes, that requires adding up two or three or more units’ SWCs total points to determine the final number of earned supervisors.

The SWCs can be intimidating and complex to some, but don’t let that stop you from getting the proper number of supervisors and keeping what you earn. If you don’t know or understand, ask! There are plenty of resources available to you.

Contact NAPS Headquarters if you need help understanding. State convention time is coming soon. This may be a great opportunity to have some SWCs training at your convention. Knowledge is power — we all need as much knowledge as possible.

As always, stay on the high road; the view and the people are much better!